On The Job
by StarGal
Summary: Hobbes reflects how things have changed....


TITLE: On The Job  
AUTHOR: Angela Dot, aka Star_Gal  
RATING: PG-13, ANGST?  
DISCLAIMERS: Although I wish I did, the characters of The Invisbible Man aren't mine. Fatso and Mini Eberts the mice are though.   
WARNINGS: some bad language, adult situations  
Notes: dude, you read, you like, say so. ya don't like, say so too. i love'd the imput.   
  
  
A wise man once said, "Always keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." Right off the bat, I can say that this guy was paranoid. No more than me, anyway.   
  
The orders had come from the President himself. And Hobbes wasn't about to refuse the Commander-in-Chief. So, middle aged Government Agent Robert Hobbes was assigned to the QS9300 project. He had no part in the scientific research or actual testing. He had been assigned to this case for one reason, and one reason only. He would follow orders to the letter, not questioning their significance or consequences.   
  
The Agency that ran the project needed someone of his character for just this kind of case. The Official would give him the orders, and he would carry them out. Simple as that.   
  
Or at least, it used to be that simple. Three years ago it had been that simple. Now things seemed to have changed, become more complicated.  
  
Now Hobbes found himself standing in one of the most depressing places he could think of. A cemetery. Not just any cemetery; it was the very same cemetery where he had buried his partner, his friends, and family. The pouring rain made the place seem even more gray and gloomy.  
  
He would rather be anywhere else right now. Yet he found himself staying, and all because of the young man standing before him.  
  
The lanky figure stood silent with his back turned to the agent. His eyes were cast down to a gleaming black headstone. The rain seemed to engulf the character with death's air. The solemn figure placed a shaky hand on the tombstone and ignored the rain.   
  
Agent Hobbes couldn't ignore it.   
  
Lets see...I've been shot at four times this month. Knocked unconscious twice, and nearly hit by a car just once. Now I'm going to catch pneumonia. Thanks, Kid.   
  
Hobbes couldn't help but flinch as he recalled all his close calls. He should have known....  
  
************  
  
Hobbes tried not to fidget as he paced the long hallway of the Agency's fourth floor. He was nervous about his first meeting with "The Official." His present bare surroundings weren't helping much either. The air seemed cold, and the walls were a pale beige, in need of a paint job.   
  
"The Official," Hobbes smirked. "What kind of code name is that?"   
  
"Robert."  
  
He turned on his heals to see a familiar, pale faced man in a pressed dark blue suit. "Eberts. How ya doing, buddy?"  
  
"The Official will see you now."   
  
Not even a smile. Eberts was still as uptight as the day Hobbes had met him. Shaking his head, Hobbes followed Eberts into the office.   
  
A large aging man sat behind a desk, watching as the two men entered. He had beady, untrusting eyes. He looked quite serious just sitting there.  
  
"Good afternoon, sir. Agent Bobby Hobbes reporting for duty." Bobby offered his hand, but only received a glare in return.   
  
"Sit."  
  
Hobbes blinked before the word registered. He quickly sat down and noticed that Eberts was lingering behind the Official.   
  
"I've heard a lot about you, Agent Hobbes." The Official kept his voice completely neutral. "And let me inform you that it wasn't all good."   
  
Hobbes suddenly felt very exposed. This man had access to all of his records, his entire history in the Marines, the FBI, and Special Forces. He had kept a good report for the most part, but it looked like anything could be considered a bad mark to this guy.   
  
"But I've also heard you that you can follow orders." The Official continued. "That you would do anything for your country."  
  
Hobbes looked over at Eberts, unsure how to take in the scene. "Yes sir, I would die for my country."  
  
The Official smiled, sending a chill down Hobbes's spine. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."   
  
**********  
  
Lingering under the large branches of an old oak, Hobbes continued to watch. The large umbrella and oversized raincoat didn't protect him much. He's most likely have a cold in the morning, but he wouldn't complain. It wasn't his place to complain.  
  
BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!   
  
Startled, Hobbes's hand instantly went to his firearm. Relax! he scolded himself. Bobby Hobbes doesn't lose his cool.   
  
Answering his persistent cell phone, Hobbes over looked the cemetery. "Hobbes."  
  
The British accent was struggling to hold back concern. "Bobby, have you found him?"  
  
"Yeah. He's ok."  
  
"Oh good." The female voice was relieved, yet restrained. "The Official is becoming very irritable. You better bring him in."  
  
Hobbes sighed. "Come on, Keep. Lets give the Kid a few more minutes."  
  
"Bobby," There was something in her voice, telling him that things weren't alright. "The Official is getting suspicious."  
  
"I understand."  
  
Hobbes had never taken his eyes off the other person in the field. He hung up the phone and took a moment to study the character.   
  
Darien Fawkes.   
  
Fawkes was a tall, lanky young man in his twenties. Hobbes noticed that he never wore a business suit like the other agents. Instead, the Kid always wore a pair of faded blue jeans and some hideous t-shirt he had bought at a flea market. He was cocky and in Hobbes's opinion, had a smart mouth. His spiky brown hair was matted to his skull, and he looked sloppier than usual. His weathered yellow leather jacket was the only thing protecting him from the rain.   
  
After a moment, Fawkes bent down on one knee and placed a single rose on the grave. That fact made Hobbes very nervous. He hadn't seen that Fawkes had a rose at all.   
  
Never trust your eyes. Hobbes thought. Never just your eyes.  
  
***********  
  
Hobbes starred wide eyed as Fawkes proceeded to disappear before him. He blinked and shook his head in amazement.  
"That is so cool."  
  
"I know," smirked Darien's voice from the air.  
  
"Come on, do me next!" Hobbes plopped down on a chair and closed his eyes.  
  
He heard his partner chuckle and felt an icy touch on his arm. The icy feeling spread, covering him with an icy silver skin. Hobbes shivered as the quicksilver engulfed his entire body, making him invisible too.  
  
Opening his eyes, his vision became black and white. A glowing ghostly figure stood beside him, smiling.  
  
"Wanna have some fun?"  
  
Hobbes nodded eagerly as the two agents made their way deeper into the depths of the Agency. They had to keep contact, or Darien's quicksilver would wear off Bobby's smaller form and expose him. The two agents exchanged mischievous smirks as they approached the sliding doors of Lab 101.   
  
The Keeper's lab.  
  
The doors hissed shut behind them as they looked around. They instantly spotted their target.  
  
Claire Keeper, otherwise known as "The Keeper" sat behind her desk. She shuffled through research papers and worked her laptop.  
  
Bobby and Darien made their way towards her. They jumped as she suddenly moved to the counter with all the vials and chemistry set. Darien pulled his partner over to the many animal cages lined up against the back wall. Bobby grinned, realizing their plan.  
  
With a touch, all four mice disappeared from a cage.  
  
Claire sat back down at her desk and started typing. The sound of squeaking brought her attention to the papers scattered about her desk. Her blue eyes went wide as a pile of papers started to move on their own.  
  
She instinctively jumped away, then got the nerve to move the papers. She was relieved to see a familiar white mouse scurrying around.  
  
"Mini Eberts, how did you get out?" The Keeper picked up the critter and looked him over. A sound brought her attention back to her desk. Opening a drawer, she discovered another mouse. "Darien, you too?"  
  
Darien the human had to slap a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing. Bobby quickly released the rat named Fatso.  
  
Placing the mice back into their cage, the Keeper proceeded to search for the other two escapees.  
  
SQUEAK SQUEAK!  
  
Fatso dashed under the Keeper desk. Claire tripped over herself trying to catch him, and hit her head on the drawer.  
  
"Fatso! I'm going to feed you to my snake if you don't come on out!" She growled.  
  
"Well that's not nice." Darien realized his mistake too late.  
  
Claire looked up instantly. Hobbes held his breathe as she approached their hiding place.  
  
"Alright Darien. You've had your fun. Come on out this instance!"  
  
"Ah crap." Darien let the quicksilver flake off the two culprits.  
  
"You couldn't let me stay invisible?" Hobbes grumbled.  
  
"Oh, and let me get all the blame?"  
  
"No reason we should both get in trouble."  
  
"Oh, that's comforting to here."   
  
"Yeah, well, I'm just saying-"  
  
"I know exactly what-"  
  
"Enough!" Claire angrily stomped her foot to get their attention. "You too are incredible!"  
  
"Why thank you, Keepy." Hobbes gave her his best smile.  
  
"You really think so? Wow, Claire. That means a lot to us." Darien grinned.  
  
"Yeah, a whole lot."  
  
Their smiles faded when she growled.  
  
"You too are always coming in here and messing with my animals! If you aren't playing Fugitive with them, you are over feeding them. How many times do I have to tell you, STAY AWAY FROM MY ANIMALS!"  
  
The boys swallowed.  
  
"And Darien! You know the Quicksilver Gland is NOT a toy! You are only to use it for Agency purposes ONLY!" She fumed as she pushed her blond her our of her face. Pointing an accusing finger at the taller agent, she continued. "And you are NOT to play tricks on people. Especially ME!"   
  
Darien instantly turned a bright red and looked down at his feet. Bobby couldn't help but smirk and put in his two cents.  
  
"Yeah, Smartass. You should know better!" Bobby dug himself deeper by continuing. "You look so beautiful when your angry, Claire."  
  
The room temperature dropped ten degrees as the Keeper turned to glare at him.   
  
"Don't you get me started on you, Bobby! You should know better."  
  
Hobbes heard Darien stifle a chuckle.  
  
"Now get out of my lab. NOW!"  
  
The two boys hurried out of the room. As the door hissed shut behind them, the started to laugh.  
  
"Come on, partner. I'll buy ya lunch." Hobbes started to leave but Darien held him back.  
  
"Wait, wait! I want to see if she finds Bobby Mouse."  
  
Hobbes raised an eyebrow, not recalling where Darien had hidden the little creature. The scream inside jogged his memory.  
  
"DARIEN! BOBBY! I'M GOING TO-"  
  
That was their cue to run for it.  
  
************  
  
BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!  
  
Damn cell phone, Hobbes cursed. "Hobbes."   
  
"The Keeper tells me you located Fawkes. What took you so damn long?"   
  
The Official. By the sound of it, it was an extremely pissed off Official. Hobbes sighed and rolled his eyes, sensing the lecture to come.  
  
"I'm sorry sir. Fawkes gave me the slip. It won't happen again."  
  
"It better not. Or we'll have to have a serious conversation about where your loyalties lie."  
  
Oh that's below the belt, Fat Man. Hobbes clenched the handle of the umbrella a bit tighter, holding back a response.  
  
"Yes sir."   
  
"Your orders were to never leave Fawkes unguarded. If he eats lunch, you eat lunch. If he watches tv, you watch tv. If he takes a piss, you take a piss."   
  
"Yes sir." Hobbes rolled his eyes. The amount of privacy Darien had at the Agency was microscopic. The Kid couldn't even take a day off to visit his sick aunt unless he had signed permission from the Official. And the Official thought that the few hours of sleep he got were vacation enough.  
  
That's why Hobbes had started to question the man's authority and all the rules and regulations. He saw the look on Darien's face when the Official refused to give him a few hours off to visit his brother's grave. Today was one of the hardest days of the year for the Kid and the Official refused his request.  
  
That's why Hobbes let Darien escape his watchful eye.  
  
"Do you have any idea how much money we'd lose if the gland got into the wrong hands? How big an asset we'd lose?"  
  
Hobbes's grip tightened even more. The handle creaked and cracked in protest, threatening to break under the intense pressure. The gland. That's all you care about, you fat bastard.  
  
"Nothing is to happen to it. Nothing."  
  
"I underst-" the phone went dead before he could even finish his sentence.  
  
With a sigh, Bobby looked up at his partner...his assignment.  
  
Fawkes knelt by the grave for a few more minutes. His head was bowed in prayer. Then he stood quietly and turned to face the Agent. Fawkes had known all along that he was there.  
  
Stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans, Fawkes approached slowly. The younger man easily towered over the smaller man, but he kept his gaze at his feet.  
Covering Fawkes with the umbrella, Hobbes cleared his throat. "We done here, Kid?" He kept his voice light and gentle, trying not to anger his partner with his sympathy.  
  
Darien nodded and looked sadly at his partner. "Thanks Hobbes. I know how much trouble you're getting into for this."  
  
Bobby shrugged casually. "You managed to escape my keen and highly superior watch and went AWOL for a couple of hours. After an unnecessarily long investigation, I found you. No trouble at all."  
  
Darien smiled. No matter how many times they had argued, or how much trouble they got into, Hobbes was always there for him. Bobby was the only friend he had at the Agency. His best friend. And he would be forever in his dept for his favor.   
  
His smile faded as he realized the hidden look in his partners eyes.  
  
"You have to bring me in now, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah, sorry Kid. We've got work to do, and I think the Fat Man wants to yell at us."  
  
Fawkes nodded and walked with Hobbes to the car. He glanced back for a moment at his brother's grave.  
  
"It's been three years, Bobby. Three years since Kev put this gland in my head and died in my arms. I'm closer to insanity every day. Why are you sticking around?"  
  
Bobby felt his heart skip a beat. It was his job, his duty to watch over Darien Fawkes. His job to risk his life and protect Gland Boy. In a way, Fawkes was the prisoner and Hobbes was the warden. At least, that's what the Agency had to think.  
  
Hobbes unlocked the passenger door to let Darien in. He smirked as he started to car. "You make me look good." He stated matter of factly.  
  
"Oh I do, do I?" Darien laughed as he buckled his seat belt.  
  
"Yeah, your right." Hobbes nodded. "I already look good."  
  
"OH Puh-lease!"  
  
"Great even!"  
  
Darien continued to laugh as they drove out of the cemetery. He felt refreshed, comfortable around Bobby Hobbes. He knew that his partners job was to keep him safe. But also knew that Bobby Hobbes was his best friend. And Darien would die for his best friend in a second. No questions asked. No consequences thought over.  



End file.
